Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
Internal friction among top economy officials came to light after a senior central banker dismissed the impact of political cycles on monetary policy. The remarks by Deputy Governor Cevdet Akçay triggered a sharp rebuke from pro-government figures and suggestions of a rift between the central bank and the Presidency.
Foreign policy has always liked theater, costumes and masks. Peace conferences, state visits, summit handshakes, seating plans, flags, solemn declarations. All belong to the choreography of international life.
Let us say it plainly at the outset: the answer is no. This is bigger than his wishes or reluctance. For more than a year, based on the operations against CHP municipalities, there has been a slew of analyses claiming that 'Erdoğan will not hold elections'. Similar analyses — citing earthquakes and wars as justification for him avoiding elections — also proved wrong before the 2023 elections and before.
While Ankara is seeking to strengthen its ties with the Washington administration, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack has dusted off an old project aimed at transforming Turkey and Syria into a hub for energy security as an alternative to the Persian Gulf, caught in the crossfire for a month.
The government’s efforts to cool down the Turkish economy are falling short as rising energy prices and deteriorating market confidence push inflation targets out of reach.
The war that erupted on Feb. 28, between Iran, the U.S. and Israel has sparked deep global uncertainty, as Iran targets U.S. bases and strategic energy infrastructure across the Gulf.
The war on Iran has once again revealed the confusing complexities of Turkey’s geostrategic positioning as a middle power between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar denied media reports that Iran stopped natural gas exports to Turkey following an Israeli military strike on the South Pars gas field on March 18.
A Qatari Air Force helicopter crashed into the sea, killing a Turkish air defense major, two Aselsan technicians, and four Qatari crew members. Questions remain unanswered, including the type of helicopter, the exact time when it crashed and the site of the crash.
Ebru Eroğlu, one of five lieutenants expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) on the grounds of insubordination for raising their swords in the air and chanting the slogan “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers” during the Military Academy’s swearing-in ceremony on August 30, 2024, lost the lawsuit to return to the military she filed against the Defense Ministry.
Following test firings on March 21, the SOM-J cruise missile is now ready to move into mass production.
An unmanned surface vessel manufactured in the U.S. was found washed ashore in the Ünye district of Ordu, on the Black Sea coast, on March 21. An unmanned surface vessel (USV) of unknown origin struck the Altura, a Sierra Leone flagged tanker which is owned by a Turkish company, Pergamon Maritime, on March 26 in the Black Sea, 15 miles off the coast of the Bosphorus Strait.